Lodge Lane Liverpool Methodist Church

Lodge Lane Liverpool Methodist Church was a large one-time Wesleyan Chapel built on Lodge Lane between Cedar Grove and Aspen Grove. In the ‘50s and early ‘60s it did a lot of great work in the local community, although – sadly – its days were numbered.

The Church was built through the generosity of Merchants in late 19th century Liverpool, and was instrumental in the building of another, some miles away. That effort took a toll, however, and that toll – together with WWI – reduced congregations substantially leaving the church to spend a lot of its time fundraising. Nonetheless, Methodism’s acute social inclusion emphasis ensured a slowly rising membership and a lot of excellent work was done in the community.

Little is known of the years between 1935 and 1950, sadly, but we are piecing together information about the church between 1950 and when it was closed in 1964.

Author

By Ian

Page added

16/04/2014

Comments about this page

Kate: that’s interesting about the book. I don’t know if you can upload images to here, but it would be interesting to see the actual certificate,

By Ian (20/11/2018)

Many thanks to everyone, especially Kate for such a detailed series of recollections.

By Ian (19/11/2018)

In the summer of 1939 my father Henry Townsend Wigley, became minister at Lodge Lane, just as war broke out.

I have just been googling to see what became of the various chapels where he worked. I see that ‘Ian’s’ article says ‘ Little is known of the years between 1935 and 1950’. I remember a good deal of those years. I was only ten in 1939 but by the time we left in 1945 I was sixteen. Perhaps you will be interested in my memories.

My father had for six years been secretary of Christian Endeavour, with an office in Leeds and weekends spent preaching all over the country. I learned much later that he had had an invitation to the rather struggling Lodge Lane and to a flourishing church in another city. He said he felt called to Lodge Lane. He said that he had begun by removing from the list of members all those who had died or moved away. He believed in home visiting and was out most evenings, home for cocoa, parkin and the nine o’clock news on the BBC Home Service. He liked to visit when the men might be at home.

I remember II o’clock morning service, children at the front with a teacher who led them out after a children’s address and before the sermon. I sat in the back pew with my mother. Holy Communion was never the main service but monthly straight after the morning service. The PSA used the chapel in the afternoon.

There was a six o’clock service and then Mr. Edgar Bateson, who had a fine voice, conducted community hymn singing in the big hall. Someone played the piano and people called out for their favourite hymns. I only went a few times and I don’t know how many winters he did this. It was quite popular in the boring blackout.

There were quite a lot of rooms behind the chapel. A small one next to the door was occupied by the ARP. There were the usual Sunday School arrangements: beginners in one room, infants in the next, all the rest in the big hall.

One afternoon a week there was the Women’s Bright Hour, a short easy service with a talk and a solo and then tea and a bun. It attracted mainly those with neither young children nor war work, the lonely old. One evening was the Men’s Fireside, mostly discussion. My father ran this and was grateful for the presence of one or two who opposed religion. He loved an argument.

A local school was evacuated and the army requisitioned the building and billeted soldiers there. They would stay for some weeks and then the next lot would come. The church set up an evening canteen for them: tea and buns in one room, tables, chairs and a coal fire in a quiet room for reading or writing letters and ping pong in the big hall. My father was very conventional in appearance, clerical collar, dark grey worsted three piece suit. He would occasionally take off his jacket and surprise the lads by beating most of the challengers at ping pong. One batch of soldiers were Conscientious Objectors, ‘Conchies’, perhaps a bit suspect to some whose sons were in danger, until they volunteered for bomb disposal, picking their way through the precarious jumble of bombed houses. Liverpool is said to have been second only to London in the amount of bombing. They put extra supporting beams in our cellar and we slept down there for some time.

We left in 1945 to go to London, where my father became national secretary of the Free Church Federal Council. His primary vocation was to the ordinary ministry and he was glad to have one more such posting before he retired. My memory of Lodge Lane then was of the body of the church being quite well filled. I suspect that maintenance of the fabric was not high priority during the war.

By Kate Askew (16/11/2018)

My hus and and I thought you might be interested in a book, Sketches of Engine and Machine Details by Wallace Bentley, M.I.M.E, published 1908. It was presented as a prize for regular attendance to Mr Milne, from Lodge Lane P.S.A.for men and women, Liverpool by Rev JW Whitmore, President, and F. Etches and W. Sharples, Hon. Secretaries. It has a very pretty label (no.573) on the first page with the above detail, which I hope are of interest to you.

By Glynis Dickinson (04/02/2017)

I lived in Coltart Rd, which was opposite the P.S.A., from 1952 until 1962.I was also a member of the Cubs and then the Sea Scouts. The Sea Scout leader Bosun was a man called Dick Evans.

By David JOHN (18/08/2016)

My Grandparents lived in Cedar Grove, only 2 houses away from the church, and my father grow up there. I spent many years in Cedar Grove and remember the church very well. It was a sad day it was finally demolished.

By G Mac (19/05/2016)

Many thanks, Phil. The more photos the better.

By Ian (13/03/2016)

When I was a child I lived in Cedar Grove ( 1954-1962) and I attended the Sunday school run by the church as well as being in the Cubs belonging to the church’s Sea Scout Group. I remember that I helped to collect money for the Junior Missionary Association and I still have the medal that I was awarded. This medal now resides in my Mum’s “button box” on the Wirral although I now live in Spain. I have just seen the photograph of the church but it appears different to me although I am stretching my memory back more than 50 years.

I remember that the building was very large, or it appeared so, and that it had many rooms and a hall as well as the chapel.

My father ran the youth club at the church for several years.

I remember that the minister was a man called Alan Bradshaw and I remember him preaching to the congregation on Sundays as I watched from the balcony of the chapel.

I remember sports days held in a local park and trips to the pantomime at the Empire.

Next time I am in England I’ll ask my parents if they have any photos from the period.

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